Coach Ricky Carruth writes that what’s killing real estate businesses is the way they’re programmed to think about potential customers.
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Tell me the truth about why you’re not crushing it in the real estate industry. It’s not your work ethic, it’s not the market, it’s not your competition. It’s what you’re programmed to think about prospects and I’m going to blow your mind as to why it will ruin your business.
lead source trap
Consider how we have been taught how to find business in real estate. We’re given these neat little lead boxes to work with.
For Sale by Owner (FSBO) Expired Listings Open Houses Zillow Leads Google Pay-Per-Click Your Sphere of Influence Direct Mail/Agriculture
Looks organized and professional, right? Wrong. Completely wrong. This system programs you for scarcity and failure. Let me explain why.
Why traditional lead sources are a trap
All of these sources are inherently limited.
FSBO? Limited quantities available at any given time. If you call them all, you’ll end up waiting for a new call. Is it an expired list? Same story. Daily supplies are limited. Open house? You are at the mercy of foot traffic. Is Jiro the lead? They are selling “exclusive” access to a small portion of the market. your sphere? Just a static list that you’re afraid of burning out.
See a pattern? All the traditional lead sources they teach are limited by design. It creates a scarcity mindset that destroys your potential.
unlimited business truth
This is the reality that will rock your world. Every human being is the protagonist. Yes, everything. single. human.
why? Because everyone does one of the following:
Do you know someone who buys and sells real estate all their life? All of the above
It’s like breathing the air and watching the waves crashing on the beach, there’s an endless supply. Just like you can’t breathe all the air or eat all the food at the buffet, it’s impossible to talk to every prospect.
Why agents get stuck
So why do 99% of agents keep playing with this little lead source box? Three reasons:
Bad programming: Being conditioned to think in terms of scarcity. When a veteran agent is upset that you’re farming “their” neighborhood, that’s scarcity thinking at work. Fear in disguise: Your brain actually uses this scarcity mindset to protect you. If you believe you’re short on leads, you have an excuse not to make those “scary” calls. It’s your mind’s way of keeping you in your comfort zone. The “already know” trap: Most agents think they already know everything they need to know to be successful. They become stagnant and instead of learning new approaches, they keep doing the same thing even harder.
liberation from the trap
The first step to smashing it in the real estate industry is to reprogram your mind about the infinite abundance of business. When you truly understand this, everything changes.
Stop competing for scarce leads You start seeing opportunities everywhere Focus on building trust with a large number of property owners Your business becomes more about relationships than transactions
Remember: Trading happens every day of your life. What happened yesterday, is happening now, and will happen tomorrow, regardless of market conditions.
the path you should take
The truth is, the world of real estate is your thing. There’s more than enough business for everyone, and there’s plenty left over.
But first you need to do the following:
Recognize and reject programming gaps Start seeing everyone as a potential connection Focus on building trust at scale Never stop learning and growing
Once you make this shift, you will no longer be tied to a limited number of lead sources and will begin to operate in a world of endless opportunities. And that’s when the real magic happens. Once you realize the truth that “everyone in the market is a lead,” you begin to realize the next truth. That means it’s impossible to talk to everyone in the market.
Now you can narrow down exactly the types of properties you want to specialize in and focus your efforts on targeting owners of those properties. No need to wait for more FSBOs or expired listings to hit the market. Dive into the huge abyss of the entire market.
There are many ways to find all the contact information for a desired property owner, but very few agents do this. The main purpose of lead generation activities is to generate conversations with the right prospects, so why not pick exactly the prospects you want and start talking to them now?
Remember, you’re not just competing for deals, you’re building your career empire. And empires are not built by competing for scrap. They are built by seeing and seizing endless opportunities that others are missing out on.
Ricky Carruth is a coach, speaker, and real estate expert. Connect with Ricky on Linkedin and YouTube.
